AMMAN -- A gathering of Islamic thinkers and leaders on Monday pledged to write a model constitution to be adopted by countries wishing to enact Sharia-based laws.
"It will be a guiding model of an Islamic constitution," Al Quds Centre for Political Studies Director Oraib Rantawi told The Jordan Times at the closing of a conference entitled: "Towards a civic democratic Islamic discourse."
"We have agreed to hold a special conference to draft a democratic Islamic constitution that among other things safeguards women's rights," he said.
For the past three days, Islamic scholars and representatives of Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, have been engaged in long discussions centred on the need to introduce democratic civic discourse into Muslim societies.
Syafii Anwar, executive director of International Centre for Islam and Pluralism in Indonesia, argued that Muslim countries should adopt a secular approach to state affairs but insisted that a contextual interpretation of the Koran should be the basis for writing an Islamic constitution.
According to Anwar, extremism emanates from the literal interpretation of scripture, regardless of the reality of the modern world and the context of original the text.
The conference also called for participants to initiate dialogue between Islamist factions and selected governments of Arab and Islamic countries, Rantawi said.
"This dialogue will aim at pinpointing the needs of these parties in order to promote the democratic process in these countries," he said.
The 60 participants, who came from 21 Arab and Islamic countries, will conduct separate meetings with Islamist movements to discuss the possibility of adopting the conclusions of the conference, he added.
In the closing statement, dubbed "Towards a Common Vision," the delegates called on democratic Islamist parties to isolate groups that make no distinction between legitimate jihad, limited to defending one's country, and terrorism that targets innocent civilians.
"Democratically elected Islamic movements are encouraged to respect and maintain the rules of democracy when dealing with other political forces," the vision stated.
It said repressive measures employed by Arab and Islamic states to undermine Islamist groups were counterproductive and only served to threaten the social and political fabric of society.
Referring to the situation in Palestine, the statement said the dual discourse that the US administration and some European counties are using against the Palestinian people for practising their democratic rights, only feeds extremism and violence.
The conference, organised by Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Al Quds Centre, discussed issues ranging from individual rights and freedom in Islam, to minorities in the Islamic world, jihad and terrorism.
By Mahmoud Habboush
© Jordan Times 2006
